Friday, January 1, 2016

We all encounter both challenges and joys in our lives and this year was no different. As hopeful humans, we commit to doing what it takes to stay positive and enjoy the gifts each day brings. Among the New Year's good luck traditions of eating greens (for the prosperity of folded money), legumes (resembling coins) and noodles (for long life) are round or ring-shaped cakes for a sweet full circle, the cycle of life. In some cultures, the first piece is made as an offering to a saint and subsequent slices are served in order of age. Sometimes there's a small token hidden for extra good luck to the finder. So today I'm offering you a round cake in the hope you may enjoy a lovely year full of goodness and light and the very best of good luck in 2016.

As we turn the page into the 2016 winter season, I’m drawn
to the fabulous trio of nuts, spice and chocolate.And although I tend to go with almonds and pecans most of the time, I do love toasted walnuts in pastries and desserts.California just happens to produce about 99% of the nation’s walnuts so they're readily available here. Rich in plant-based omega-3,
walnuts have a unique flavor all their own.In this Walnut Tweed Cake, I combine toasted walnuts with the complimentary
flavors of instant espresso powder, cardamom and chopped chocolate. The cake is fairly light and subtle rather than rich or heavy.

When slicing into this simple rustic cake, it reminded me of
the look of a warm fall tweed, just the sort of thing to ward off the chill of winter.It has
woven into its texture the comforting elements of simple and pure ingredients. I do recommend as the
winter seeps into our bones that you enjoy a nice slice with a good cup of hot coffee whenver
the mood strikes for a cherished moment of life's luxury.

Here’s wishing everyone a very HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Bench notes:

-Toasting walnuts
brings out their full flavor and adds significantly to the cake.Put the nuts in a single layer on a baking sheet in a 350 degree F oven for 10 - 15 minutes. Cool.

- Room temperature butter is not oily or soft. It
should give just a bit when you press into the surface.

- Add the espresso powder to the milk and vanilla when the milk has warmed up to room temperature so it will more easily dissolve.

- Because there is a small amount each of flour and ground
nuts, it’s important to take the time cream the butter and sugars properly on medium speed until light and fluffy; add eggs one at a time, mixing thoroughly before adding the next (the batter is ready for the next egg when it no longer has a shiny slick on the surface); and then thoroughly combining with the flour and nut mixture to build a
solid structure. Scraping down the bowl at each juncture really makes a difference.

- Chop the chocolate and remaining walnuts into fairly small
pieces (about the size of chocolate chips) so they don’t sink to the bottom.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease and flour an 8” x 2” round cake pan and line the bottom with a round of parchment paper.

Place 3/4 cup (3 oz) toasted walnuts, flour, baking powder,
salt and cardamom in the bowl of a food
processor. Process until the walnuts are finely
ground. Pour into a bowl and set aside.

Whisk together the milk, vanilla and instant espresso powder
and set aside.

Coarsely chop the remaining 1/4 cup (1 oz) walnuts and
chocolate into small pieces and set aside.

Cream the butter and both sugars until pale and fluffy, about 4
minutes.Add eggs and egg yolk one at a
time, fully incorporating each into the mixture before adding the next and
stopping to thoroughly scrape down the bowl after each addition.

Slowly add the flour in three additions, alternating with
the half the milk mixture and beginning and ending with the flour. Mix until
the batter is completely combined. Use a rubber spatula
to fold in the remaining 1/4 cup chopped nuts and chocolate. Pour the cake batter into the prepared pan and spread it
evenly.

Bake until a tester comes out clean, about 32 - 33 minutes. Let the cake rest for 10 minutes. Gently run a
thin bladed knife around the edge of the pan and invert the cake. Remove the
parchment and invert the cake again.Cool completely.Dust with powdered sugar.

Friday, December 18, 2015

If we're talking about the pairing of chocolate and nuts, it’s no secret that my favorite
is the magical gianduia, Italian for the luxurious marriage of chocolate and
hazelnuts.Although I do love all the combinations,
there’s something about the unique quality of toasted hazelnuts that pairs
particularly beautifully with dark chocolate.

For
me, these Chocolate Cinnamon & Hazelnut Thumbprint cookies are the mother lode of the fabulous wonder of chocolate,
cinnamon, vanilla and hazelnuts. There is superb deep cocoa, vanilla and cinnamon flavors co-mingling and a wonderful counterpoint of different textures. There's a decent level of sugar that isn't too sweet or cloying and a dollop of chocolate that adds to the luxury. The cookies are crispy on the outside, tender and chewy on the inside, a wealth of pleasure. Perfect for the holidays, although I wouldn’t
even consider filing this recipe away once December is in our rear view
mirror.These cookies are meant to be
enjoyed throughout the year, whenever you feel like delighting your palate and treating yourself to
something pretty sublime.

My
cookies didn’t come out nearly as beautiful as the Epicurious photo because I
somehow forgot to roll the cookies in the cinnamon sugar before baking.But I did try to remedy that just a wee bit by
rolling them in the sugar before filling with chocolate to get the right sensation of flavor. Please do make a point to remember to roll in the sugar because all of the garnishes - the sugar, cinnamon, chocolate and finely
chopped hazelnuts - each in their own way contribute magically and significantly
to the final product.

If
you’re a lover of the combination of chocolate and hazelnuts like me, don’t
hesistate to make this cookie.It’s not
difficult and the reward is the stuff of cookie dreams.By which I mean, heaven.

Here’s
to your happy season of baking!

Bench
notes:

- Toasting nuts brings out the oil and heightens their
flavor. Toast hazelnuts in a 350 degree F oven for about 7 - 8 minutes.Watch them closely as they will taste bitter
if they are left too long.Remove from
the oven and wrap the nuts in a kitchen towel and let them steam for about 1
minute. Rub them in the towel to remove any loose skins (don't worry about the bits of skin still clinging) and let cool.

- Use natural cocoa powder, not dutched.

- 1 tablespoon may seem like a ton of vanilla but it is
perfect!

-
The original instructions call for mixing in the conventional way: creaming
butter and sugar, adding the egg, then the dries.I decided to mix mine in a food processor, so
this is my method:Place 1/2 cup
hazelnuts, flour, cocoa, baking soda, salt, 1 1/4 teaspoons cinnamon and sugar
in the bowl of a food processor and process until the nuts are finely ground.Cut 8 oz cold butter into 1/2” pieces and add to
the bowl.Process until the butter is
well incorporated.Add the egg and vanilla
and process until the mixture forms clumps around the center of the machine and
holds together when pinched.

-
I use a #40 ice cream scoop to portion the cookie dough.

-
After baking, I use the small end of a melon baller to create the wells.Rather than pushing straight down into the
warm cookies, I pressed down gently,
rocking the utensil back and forth to prevent the warm cookies from cracking
excessively.

-
The recipe calls for semisweet (62%) for the chocolate garnish but I used
bittersweet (72%).I just used a
teaspoon to drizzle the chocolate into the wells of each cookie.

- Cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room
temperature for about 1 week.

Beat 8 oz butter and 1 cup sugar until pale and fluffy,
about 2 – 3 minutes. Add the egg and
vanilla and beat until thoroughly blended. Reduce to low speed and add the dry ingredients, beating just until thoroughly mixed.Portion the dough into heaping tablespoons
and roll into balls.Place on a baking
sheet and chill until the oven is ready.

Combine 1/2 cup sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon in a small bowl. Roll the cookie balls in the mixture and place
them 2" apart on the baking sheets.

Bake until puffed and set but still moist, about 10-12
minutes, rotating the sheets halfway through.

Remove from the oven and immediately make an indentation in
the center of each cookie with the small end of a melon baller or the bottom of
a rounded measuring teaspoon. Place the pans on a wire rack and cool
completely.

Finely chop remaining 2 tablespoons hazelnuts and set aside.

Finely chop the chocolate and melt with the remaining 2 oz butter in a small heatproof bowl over a barely simmering water bath or at 10-second intervals in a microwave, stirring often,
until melted. Fill the wells of each
cookie with the chocolate and immediately garnish with the reserved nuts. Set the cookies aside until the chocolate
is set, about 20 minutes.

Friday, December 11, 2015

We are knee deep into the season of festive boozy desserts
and I thought I’d add one that is also a very comforting kind of dessert.With a splash of rum and a dash of spice, this
cake fills the bill.And since I’m always
looking for ways to incorporate fresh fruit into my pastries and desserts, I
decided a nice thin layer of apples baked in a brown butter and brown sugar rum
topping would lift this cake to a soothing splendor.

This is an adult cake, but I'm careful to use alcohol in desserts for enhanced flavor rather than to overwhelm. For the topping, I
browned the butter and also added a tablespoon of rum and some
spice to give the apples more complexity.The cake itself has a pinch of nutmeg to complement the rum.This is pretty easy to prepare and even
easier to share when the mood strikes and you're in the company of good friends.

I hope you’re feeling the spirit of the season and enjoying lots of holiday cheer.Now is an especially good time to think about
ways to give back and share the bounty in our lives with our community and loved ones. Enjoy!

Bench notes:

- I like Fuji or Gala apples for this recipe.
- I use a parchment circle on the bottom of the pan to make removal of the cake easy and quick.
- Whenever preparing upside down cake, don’t let the fruit
sit in the bottom of the pan with the sugar mixture for more than a few
minutes. When fruit comes into contact with sugar, it begins to macerate and may produce an excess of juices, which may affect the texture of the
cake.So lay down the fruit just before
you’re ready to begin mixing the cake.

- For the topping, it won’t take long to brown the small
amount of butter so you’ll need to work fast.Remember: when browning butter, both the pan and the butter get very hot.That means that even when you’ve
taken it off the heat, it will continue to brown from the residual heat.So it’s important to have the remaining topping ingredients and the prepared cake pan ready to go because you’ll need to quickly stop
the cooking after you take the butter off the heat.Just as it looks like it’s reached an amber
color, lift up the pan and swirl it a few times to watch its progress.When it’s reached a bit darker brown, quickly stir in the
remaining topping ingredients and pour into the prepared pan.Remove the vanilla bean and swirl to evenly distribute the topping across the bottom to the edges of the pan.

- If you don’t have a vanilla bean for the topping, add 1/4
teaspoon vanilla extract when you add the sugar, rum and spice to the browned butter.

- Cut the apples into thin slices so they'll have the right texture in the time it takes the cake to bake.
- To avoid gummy cake, always let cake cool completely on a wire rack to allow the
crumb to set, about 2 - 3 hours after removing it from the pan.

Preheat oven to 350ºF.Lightly grease a 9” x 2 1/2” round cake pan and line the bottom with a circle of parchment paper.

To make the topping, place 2 oz of butter in a saucepan. Split and scrape 1/4 vanilla bean and add to the butter in the saucepan along with the pod. Brown the butter over medium low heat. Just as it begins to look like it’s almost ready, take the pan off
the heat and swirl. When it gets to the right color, quickly add brown
sugar, rum, spices and a slight pinch of salt and stir to combine. Pour into
the prepared cake pan, remove the vanilla bean and swirl to
distribute evenly across and to the edges of the pan .

Peel, core and cut the apples into thin slices. Arrange them in the bottom of the pan in an
overlapping pattern.

Sift the flour, baking powder, salt and nutmeg and set aside.
Combine milk, rum and vanilla and set aside.

Beat the butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy,
about 3 - 4 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, mixing until fully
incorporated and emulsified before adding the next and scraping
down the bowl after each addition. Add a third of the flour mixture
alternately with half the milk, beginning and ending with the flour. Mix
just until blended, scraping down the bowl and incorporating everything
together as you go. Pour the batter into the pan and carefully spread evenly to the edges without dislodging the fruit.

Bake until golden and a tester inserted into the
center of the cake comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Place on a wire rack and cool for 15 minutes. Invert
the cake, remove the parchment and cool for at least 2 – 3 hours.

Friday, December 4, 2015

Sauce cakes are these bizarre little science projects that
defy our best intuition about baking.There’s no creaming of butter and sugar and the liquid is not mixed into
the cake batter at all yet somehow it all magically comes together.It’s an odd idea
but the cake is so easy to prepare and so comforting to devour, you’ll quickly
forget all the chemistry questions in favor of diving into the delicious
results.

The ingredients are basic enough but I don’t pretend to know
how or why this particular method works.Once the
cake batter is placed in the baking pan, hot liquid is carefully poured over
the top so that two distinct layers are formed.During the baking process, some of the liquid is absorbed into the cake
but most of it collects at the bottom of the dish to form a thickened sauce.Weird, I know.

This particular sauce cake is flavored with orange, toasted
pecans and a slight dash of cinnamon.The liquid layer is a combination of orange juice and brown sugar and
the resulting orange caramel sauce is a perfect gooey match for the tender cake.

Once the weather turns cold, we usually crave the soups, stews and casseroles that symbolize comfort food. That's true of pastries as well. If you’re craving some
comfort that isn't overly rich or heavy, this cake is a very nice offering.Serve it warm with a bit of ice cream and you're set to enjoy a good old-fashioned spoon dessert, perfect for these cold
nights bundled up by the fire.

Bench notes:

- I used two large heavy oranges and they were the perfect amount for both the
cake and the sauce. The heavier the orange, the more juice it contains.

- If you don’t have Grand Marnier, try rum or bourbon.Or you can skip it altogether.

- To toast pecans, spread them in a single layer on a baking sheet and place in a 350
degree F oven for about 10 minutes.

Whisk together the melted butter, milk, egg and vanilla.Add flour mixture and whisk just until thoroughly combined. Stir in the toasted pecans. Spread batter evenly in the prepared baking
dish.

For the sauce, place the orange juice, water, brown sugar, butter,
cinnamon, orange zest, Grand Marnier and a few grains of salt in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, whisking constantly, until
the brown sugar is dissolved.Take off
the heat and slowly and gently pour over the cake batter, doing your best not
to disturb the batter.Do not stir or
attempt to mix the liquid into the batter in any way.

Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 28 minutes. Place the cake on a wire rack for just a few
minutes. Serve warm.

Friday, November 27, 2015

You can find coffee co-mingled with spice in other cultures,
such as cardamom scented Turkish Coffee and Café Olla, a Mexican coffee brewed with a touch of
cinnamon and piloncillo sugar.Pierre
Hermé also writes about a haunting memory of a coffee served with an accompanying piece of crystallized ginger, which prompted him to create a cake.

These cookies from Bon Appetit are a play on this theme. They're crisp with an unusual and
aromatic blend of coffee, ground ginger, cinnamon and cardamom.They’re sweetened with brown sugar and bursting with coffee flavor.They are decidedly adult.

The recipe includes a simple glaze and a super garnish of
crystallized ginger.I also tried them
with a smear of chocolate. But I must say I prefer the original recipe’s glaze, which I
think enhances rather than masks the complexity.The crystallized ginger really pops and adds to its distinctive and unusual flavor.I wouldn’t necessarily call them a shortbread but they do have a good
amount of butter and are similarly baked at a lower temperature for a longer time than
most cookies.

If you’re looking for a very unusual cookie full of spice
and a satisfying burst of java, you may want to add this to your stack of curiosities.

Bench notes:

- The recipe calls for baking in two 9” tart pans with removable bottoms but I made them into cookies using a 2 1/2 “ square cookie
cutter.If you use the tart pans, divide
the dough equally between the two pans. Press it firmly and evenly onto the bottom
of each tart pan.Instructions say to bake
at 325 degrees F for about 25 minutes, then rotate
pans and continue to bake until golden brown and firm around edges with a center that is still just slightly soft, about 20 minutes longer. Cool shortbread in pans for about 5 minutes.
Remove pan sides. Use a sharp knife to score the warm shortbread in each pan
into 12 wedges. Cool completely. Spread the glaze thinly, leaving 1/2” border
at edges. Garnish with crystallized
ginger. Let the glaze set for about 1
hour. Slice into 24 wedges.

- For the glaze, I sift the powdered sugar into a bowl of 2
teaspoons of water to avoid lumps.Then I add the vanilla.

Place flour, brown sugar, ground coffee, ginger, cinnamon,
cardamom, and salt in a food processor and process to combine. Cut cold butter into 1/2” pieces and add.Pulse until moist clumps begin to form at the
center of the bowl. Gather the dough into a ball. Divide dough into two equal portions.Place each on a sheet of plastic wrap and pat
it down.Place another sheet of plastic
wrap on top and roll out to a rectangle about 7 1/2” x 10”. Slide onto a baking sheet and place in the
refrigerator. Repeat with second half of dough. Chill until firm.

Remove plastic wrap from both sides of cookie dough, leaving
one piece underneath. Cut out cookies using a 2 1/2” cookie cutter and
place 15 per prepared baking pan.

Mix the powdered sugar, water and vanilla.Using a small offset spatula, spread a thin layer of glaze over about half of each cookie. Garnish with crystallized ginger. Place on a wire rack until glaze is set, about
1 hour.

Friday, November 20, 2015

If you want to light up a table with a gorgeous blast of
color this season, you’d be hard pressed to find anything that could top
cranberries.Their bold and bright
jeweled saturation, especially when simmered or baked, is pretty stunning.

And what better application than to have them crown an
upside down cake?This cake is a simple
dessert that highlights not only a gorgeous layer of gooey cranberries but a few slices of the
always reliable pop of sunshine of sliced oranges.Burrowed in a butter and brown sugar mixture,
they bake into a luscious topping for a tender cake laced with vanilla and
orange zest.

This cake was baked each winter at Chez Panisse for
years.It’s rustic and spare but also
befitting a centerpiece.It's delicious served with a dollop of sweetened whipped cream enhanced with a splash of vanilla or perhaps Grand Marnier.

Here’s wishing everyone a sumptuous and warm
Thanksgiving.I hope you are surrounded
with irresistibly good food and cherished loved ones, savoring every tidbit in a grand gesture of gratitude.

Bench notes:

- I bought a medium and a small orange for a fun decorative variation in
size.

- I line the bottom of the pan with parchment after greasing
so the topping releases in one piece.

- The amount of cranberries you’ll use will depend on the
size of your orange slices. Do crowd the cranberries in one layer as tightly as possible.

- Although the recipe states a 55 minute bake time, check
the cake at 45 minutes.Mine was done,
although I suspect my oven is running rather hot these days.

- Let the cake cool on a wire rack for about 20 minutes
before turning it out.You want the cake
to cool enough so that the topping stays in tact but also warm enough so it
releases easily.

- Add about 1/2 teaspoon of cardamom or cinnamon to the batter for a different flavor
profile.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.Lightly grease a 9” x 2 1/2" cake pan and line the
bottom with a circle of parchment.

For the topping, melt the butter and pour into the prepared
cake pan.Add the brown sugar and blend with
the butter until it dissolves. Pat this
mixture into an even layer, spreading to the edges of the pan.

Use a sharp knife to cut away the peel and pith of each
orange, preserving the shape.Cut into
1/4” slices and place randomly on top of the butter and brown sugar
topping.Fill in with as many fresh
cranberries as you can fit in one layer. Set aside.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt.Set aside.Combine the milk, vanilla and orange zest and set aside.

Beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 –
4 minutes on an electric mixer.Scrape down the bowl and add the eggs one at
a time, mixing until fully incorporated and emulsified before adding the
next.Scrape down the bowl.

Add the flour mixture in thirds alternately with half the milk, beginning
and ending with the flour mixture.Take
off the mixer and scrape down the bowl, making sure to scrape the bottom and
sides of the bowl to fully incorporate all the fat and dry ingredients.

Pour the batter over the topping and spread evenly,
taking care not to disturb the fruit.

Bake until a tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 45 - 55 minutes.Cool for 20 minutes in the pan. Run a thin bladed knife around the circumference to loosen the edges and turn the cake out
onto a platter. Gently peel off the parchment and cool.